Course Description

Fulfills Upper-Level Elective for LCS Major and Minor
Fulfills Upper-Level Elective for History Major and Minor

As a population, Latinas/os have been prominent in the public sphere in popular culture, the media, and especially around discussions of immigration. Though people of mixed Spanish-Indian-African ancestry (who may be described as “Latinas/os” or “Hispanics” today) explored the lands of present-day Florida and New Mexico long before English colonizers reached Plymouth Rock, Latinas/os are continually seen as foreigners, immigrants, and “newcomers” to American society. This course aims to place Latina/o populations in the United States within historical context. We begin by asking: Who are Latinas/os in the U.S. and how did they become part of the American nation-state? Why are they identified as a distinct group? How have they participated in American society and how have they been perceived over time? The course will familiarize students with the broad themes, periods, and questions raised in the field of Latina/o History. Topics include
conquest and colonization, immigration, labor activism and unionization, education, politics, popular culture, and social movements. The course emphasizes a comparative approach to Latina/o history aiming to engage histories from the Southwest, Midwest, and Eastern United States and across national origin groups—Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, Cubans, Dominicans, Central Americans, and South Americans. Throughout the course, we will analyze concepts of race, class, gender, nation, ethnicity, and sexuality as we explore primary and secondary sources.